Then one night, when the whole family was out in the car – coming home from somewhere, we saw an incredibly bright beam of light in the sky. It was far enough away that we couldn’t really tell where it was coming from. My brothers and I had never seen this before and were excited about what it might mean. Our parents explained that it was a searchlight and that businesses sometimes rented them to attract people from miles around to their sales or events.

Needless to say, we wanted to follow it and figure out how to get there. I think we each had different visions about what was waiting for us at the end of that light – perhaps a big sale on china dolls or a carnival with rides or maybe even a free movie. In the end, it turned out to be just a used car sale! But, oh how thrilling it was to successfully follow that light all the way to its source!

Today in the church, we are celebrating Epiphany – the final installment of the Christmas story, when God’s manifestation in baby Jesus was revealed to the wise men. That is why we have the nativity scene up for one last week – with the Wise Men bringing their gifts to Jesus.

These were men from countries far away from where Jesus was born. They were of a different culture, nationality, and religious background than Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. They were not believers in the one God of Israel but were pagans, which meant they worshipped more than one god. These particular men were called Magi, a priestly class of Persian or Babylonian experts in astrology and interpretation of dreams. Their beliefs associated the birth of a new ruler with astral phenomena.

When they observed the star that rose over the manger at Jesus’ birth, it was like nothing they had ever seen before, but they were sure that it meant at least two things:

1. that a new king had been born, and
2. that they must travel from their homes, from their countries, in order to find this new king and pay him homage.

Can you imagine a star so bright that its light shone all the way to another country? Scholars debate whether this was a supernatural sign, a rare celestial event, or a combination of both, but whatever it was, for the Magi it must have been like the ultimate cosmic searchlight! And like my brothers and I following the beam of light when we were kids, the Wise Men set out on a trek, a long and difficult journey, to follow the light of the star. They knew more about what they could expect to find than we did, but like us, they didn’t know exactly where it was leading, and they didn’t know how their lives would be changed once they got there.

The Wise Men lived in eastern countries, and they followed the star west to the country of Judea to the town of Jerusalem, which was not too far from Bethlehem. Once they got there, they started asking questions about where the newborn king of the Jews was to be found so that they could go and worship him. Now, the current king of Judea was Herod the Great, who was not a popular king but had established his rule by military force. He knew that the people wanted a king of Jewish blood, one who did not have to answer to the Romans. When he heard that foreign dignitaries were in town asking about some new king of the Jews, Herod feared that this could be the beginning of the end for his rule. He brought in prominent religious leaders to advise him, who told him that their Scripture (Micah 5:2) indeed prophesied about a king who would be born in Bethlehem.

And so, Herod began plotting a way to kill this newborn before he could grow up and take away his throne. He devised a plan to use the wise men, telling them that he, too, wanted to worship the new king if they would just come back and give him his exact location. He passed on to them what he had learned of the Scriptural prophecy and was able to point the Wise Men in the right direction toward Bethlehem. From that point on, they were able to continue following the star to the very place where Jesus lay. They worshipped him and gave him gifts suitable for royalty: gold, frankincense and myrrh – all precious because of their rarity and great value. Each of these gifts also carried deeper symbolic meaning: gold for Jesus’ kingship, frankincense for his divinity, and myrrh for his eventual suffering and death.

And then, just as God had worked through their pagan beliefs in astrology to lead them to Jesus, God worked through their belief in dreams to warn them not to return to Herod and they traveled home by a different route.

This story of the Magi and Jesus holds great significance in the gospel of Matthew. First of all, his is the only gospel in which the wise men appear. It was important to include them for the very reason that they were pagans, Gentiles, people who were not part of the Hebrew faith in the One God of Israel. They were outsiders and yet – here, at the very beginning of Jesus’ life, they are included in the gospel story. Matthew was making it clear that this birth, this manifestation of God in the humble and vulnerable life of a little baby was for all people, even for them. And it produced a light so bright that they could not help but follow it.

Ironically, the religious leaders of the time, who knew well about the prophecy of the star and the birth of a Messiah, did not follow it. Instead, it was the pagan outsiders, the Magi, who were obedient to God by following the star. And they followed not only the star, but also Scripture, to Bethlehem. For their astrology alone could not get them there. They needed the guidance of Scripture to get them the rest of the way. And so, the meaning the Magi had been looking for in the stars was ultimately found in God’s revelation in Jesus.

Matthew does not tell us what became of the wise men, but we know their lives were changed forever, for they were “overwhelmed with joy” as they worshipped the living God in baby Jesus. The Magi had followed the star, the light of God not knowing that it was God; they didn’t even believe in God and yet they were so attracted by God’s light that they were compelled to follow it to its source. And what started out as one incredible journey became two:

1. the first led them to God in Christ and
2. the second began the very moment they found him.

The same is true for us. For even though we have found Christ and proclaim him to be our Lord and Savior, our story is far from over. We must be careful to remember this. It can be all too easy for us to become comfortable and complacent in our faith like the religious leaders in Matthew’s story. Sometimes it takes outsiders, like the Wise Men, to remind us that God’s light is not meant to be simply admired, but to be followed.

It has been said that Christianity is not a destination, but a journey. Each one of us is on that journey, whether we always know it or not. We are each at different stages on the journey and we each experience it differently, each with our own dreams and visions, each with our own doubts and fears. And yet we are assured that God is with us through Christ – our Emmanuel.

We have just come through the season of Christmas and once again been given a chance to be renewed and refreshed along our journey, for Christ to be re-born in us. We have followed the star through Advent to the manger; we have worshipped with song and prayer, presented our gifts of homage and praise, and delighted in the glory of Christmas. On Wednesday, we turned the corner into a new year, leaving another year behind, a year which was fraught with tragedy and sadness for people everywhere – from wars to threats of war, to mass shootings, devastating hurricanes and wildfires, the global refugee crisis, and the list goes on…

It seems that this is a time when we need more than ever to see God’s star shining brightly before us, leading us in the way we need to go. As we begin this New Year, we must be ready to not only recognize God’s light in our lives, but also to follow it. If we are able to do that, then perhaps others who are seeking meaning and purpose for their lives will see God’s light shining so brightly in us that they will be compelled to follow it to its source.

In the name of our Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Charge: As we leave this place, let us boldly embark on our own “star trek,” this new year, following the light of Christ wherever it may lead us. Like the Magi, may we journey with curiosity, courage, and faith, seeking the places and people where God’s light shines brightest.

Benediction: And now, as we go forth into the world, may the light of Christ guide our path, the love of God fill our hearts, and the Spirit of God empower our steps, and give us the strength to Choose Love, so we can Be the Light, that Changes the World. Amen.